Youngest American to Travel to Every Sovereign Nation at 27
The Story of Cassie De Pecol
Cassie De Pecol visits 196 countries in 18 months and 26 days
She says she will offset her trip's carbon footprint by planting trees
(CNN)Her eyes teared up as a North Korean soldier gripped her hand in the hardest handshake she'd ever felt. "We're going to destroy you, America," he said.
Over the past year and a half, American traveler Cassie De Pecol has visited every country in the world, and the greetings she received weren't always gracious. She had set out to promote peace in her own small way, by meeting people from every country in the world -- and she did so at a record pace.
Traveling to all the world's 196 sovereign nations in 18 months and 26 days, De Pecol made the trip in less than half the time it took the previous Guinness World Record holder.
She recalled telling the North Korean guard about her mission: She was there to show that, even if their governments couldn't be friends, the two of them didn't have to be enemies. "I just like to show that we can be friends and we can kind of coexist," De Pecol said.
Cassie De Pecol in North Korea with her tour guide. She came to the country on a three-day organized tour with a Chinese tour group based out of Beijing.
De Pecol, who majored in environmental studies in college, said she felt she couldn't travel the world without having a larger purpose. She embarked on her world tour in July 2015, promoting sustainable tourism everywhere she went as an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism.
The nonprofit was founded in 1986, the United Nation's "Year of Peace," to promote cultural understanding after terrorist incidents sparked tensions between Eastern and Western countries.
Over the course of her trip, she met with mayors and ministers of tourism, presenting them with the institute's "Declaration of Peace." SKAL International, an association of tourism professionals with chapters all over the world, considered her a peace ambassador and helped De Pecol arrange meetings with dignitaries in more than 50 countries.
The 27-year-old spoke before more than 16,000 students about the ways to offset your carbon footprint when you travel.
Championing sustainability -- and being accused of hypocrisy
"If you say, fly from Bangalore, India, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, you end up killing one tree during that flight, the goal is to plant two trees, for regenerative tourism, not just sustainable tourism," De Pecol said.
Having flown over 255 times on her expedition, De Pecol says she's been called hypocritical for boasting a sustainable mission.
De Pecol aims to completely offset the heavy carbon footprint of her trip, however, planting trees in over 50 countries.
"It's tough to figure out to get permission to plant a tree in a lot of countries, but I've been trying to do that as much as possible. I've planted close to 50 trees now but there's about 500 more, so that's just a goal."
She said she would plant the rest when she gets back home to Connecticut after the expedition.
De Pecol said she's faced criticism for the short time she spent in each place -- too brief, critics say, to have meaningful experiences.
Others accuse her of only being in it to chase the record -- and money.
How she funded the trip
In total, De Pecol budgeted $198,000 to get herself around the world.
De Pecol was 23 years old when she began planning her journey, and in the beginning she had no funding. During the year and a half that she spent planning her trip, she says she saved $10,000 by babysitting, then went about acquiring sponsors.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1661227070168387353#editor/target=post;postID=881013649338467247
Youngest and first American to Travel to Every Sovereign Nation at 27
Cassie De Pecol visits 196 countries in 18 months and 26 days
She says she will offset her trip's carbon footprint by planting trees
(CNN)Her eyes teared up as a North Korean soldier gripped her hand in the hardest handshake she'd ever felt. "We're going to destroy you, America," he said.
Over the past year and a half, American traveler Cassie De Pecol has visited every country in the world, and the greetings she received weren't always gracious. She had set out to promote peace in her own small way, by meeting people from every country in the world -- and she did so at a record pace.
Traveling to all the world's 196 sovereign nations in 18 months and 26 days, De Pecol made the trip in less than half the time it took the previous Guinness World Record holder.
She recalled telling the North Korean guard about her mission: She was there to show that, even if their governments couldn't be friends, the two of them didn't have to be enemies. "I just like to show that we can be friends and we can kind of coexist," De Pecol said.
Cassie De Pecol in North Korea with her tour guide. She came to the country on a three-day organized tour with a Chinese tour group based out of Beijing.
De Pecol, who majored in environmental studies in college, said she felt she couldn't travel the world without having a larger purpose. She embarked on her world tour in July 2015, promoting sustainable tourism everywhere she went as an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism.
The nonprofit was founded in 1986, the United Nation's "Year of Peace," to promote cultural understanding after terrorist incidents sparked tensions between Eastern and Western countries.
Over the course of her trip, she met with mayors and ministers of tourism, presenting them with the institute's "Declaration of Peace." SKAL International, an association of tourism professionals with chapters all over the world, considered her a peace ambassador and helped De Pecol arrange meetings with dignitaries in more than 50 countries.
The 27-year-old spoke before more than 16,000 students about the ways to offset your carbon footprint when you travel.
Championing sustainability -- and being accused of hypocrisy
"If you say, fly from Bangalore, India, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, you end up killing one tree during that flight, the goal is to plant two trees, for regenerative tourism, not just sustainable tourism," De Pecol said.
Having flown over 255 times on her expedition, De Pecol says she's been called hypocritical for boasting a sustainable mission.
De Pecol aims to completely offset the heavy carbon footprint of her trip, however, planting trees in over 50 countries.
"It's tough to figure out to get permission to plant a tree in a lot of countries, but I've been trying to do that as much as possible. I've planted close to 50 trees now but there's about 500 more, so that's just a goal."
She said she would plant the rest when she gets back home to Connecticut after the expedition.
De Pecol said she's faced criticism for the short time she spent in each place -- too brief, critics say, to have meaningful experiences.
Others accuse her of only being in it to chase the record -- and money.
How she funded the trip
In total, De Pecol budgeted $198,000 to get herself around the world.
De Pecol was 23 years old when she began planning her journey, and in the beginning she had no funding. During the year and a half that she spent planning her trip, she says she saved $10,000 by babysitting, then went about acquiring sponsors.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1661227070168387353#editor/target=post;postID=881013649338467247
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